I put tent into the search engine on here and got every thread I think on here.

I just wanted to know if anyone had luck with any tents on the playa that they could recommend. I don't need anything huge. Two to a four person tent is more than enough. Its just me a small suitcase and a cooler. I will change, brush my teeth and shower outside my tent (which I will only use during the night, if I sleep during the day we have a shade structure. I just don't want to get to the playa to have it ripped to shreds by a storm.

(editted to add) - it has to be small enough to go into checked baggages. The ones that I think will work are huge.

I have owned a $60 10X11 Coleman family car camping tent for almost 30 years...I have used it every one of those 30 years, including 6 years on the playa. Except for a stuck zipper (which was an easy fix) it has sustained virtually no damage.

Have I religiously cleaned the tent after each use? Yes.
Have I stored the tent between uses in a clean, dry environment? Yes.
At Burning Man have I set the tent up to take advantage of the wind break offered by larger structures? Yes.
Have I used 8-foot long rebar to stake out the tent? No. Simple 10-inch aluminum tent nails have been just fine.

I guess the message is that even the toughest structures can be damaged by the elements at BM. But with common sense planning and set up, even a rather flimsy structure can withstand the winds and dust.

YMMV.

Don't bore your friends with all your troubles. Tell your enemies instead, for they will delight in hearing about them.

I have an older Mountain Hardware tent that I "borrowed" from my brother in law. It survived BM even after being used for monthly desert camping for years. It's sun bleached, and I'm pretty sure I don't put it up correctly, but it survives well. It's probably about 10 years old, so I imagine their new stuff is even better.

It's pretty big. You can probably fit two queen sized air beds in it with space to move around.

Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.

FaeTora wrote:(editted to add) - it has to be small enough to go into checked baggages. The ones that I think will work are huge.

This is gonna be the tricky part!

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

My sister has a little 4 man Coleman Tent. And its not huge when its all packed up.
Who are you camping with? Is there anychance that you could buy a tent and have it drop shipped to them. Maybe they would be willing to store it for you. And it would be your Burning Man tent. Wouldn't really solve the "use the rest of the year problem."

Maybe ask C.F.M. what she uses.

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

illy dilly wrote:My sister has a little 4 man Coleman Tent. And its not huge when its all packed up. Who are you camping with? Is there anychance that you could buy a tent and have it drop shipped to them. Maybe they would be willing to store it for you. And it would be your Burning Man tent. Wouldn't really solve the "use the rest of the year problem."

Maybe ask C.F.M. what she uses.

For everything BUT BM I use an Ez-Up. I love it. I will never camp in a tent again.

I am VERY fortunate to have wonderful, kind and generous campmates who loan me a canvas tent for BM.

I've had this Eureka backpacking tent for nearly 30 years. Never used it on the playa, but I have used it in very windy places in Wyoming and it holds up marvelously. It is called the 2-man Mountain tent. Don't know if they make it anymore, but is has plenty of space for a single person with gear and only weighs about 8 pounds.

Trishntek wrote:I've had this Eureka backpacking tent for nearly 30 years. Never used it on the playa, but I have used it in very windy places in Wyoming and it holds up marvelously. It is called the 2-man Mountain tent. Don't know if they make it anymore, but is has plenty of space for a single person with gear and only weighs about 8 pounds.

Yup I used my dad's Eureka 2 person from the 80's in the New Mexican desert for a month and it performed well (he's also used it heavily since the 80s), stayed dry during heavy rains and had plenty of room for myself and gea ... so i'd recommend a Eureka if you can find

I put this up today just to see if it was still functional and started thinking about when I actually purchased this. It was 1976! This tent is THIRTY-FIVE years old! I always kept the seams treated with sealant and washed it. I was blown away what good shape it is in after 10's of thousands of miles of motorcycle camping and backcountry hiking.

And how. I'm bringing my tent as backup, but frankly I trust the utility of a tarp and support structure and my hammock much further because I know I've overengineered it and just how it goes together in case I have to do an emergency fix.